


Mountain's Pass

by circuscrow



Series: Yokai AU [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Yokai, DaiKage Friendship, M/M, Yokai - Freeform, fox spirit hinata, fox spirit kageyama, fox spirit suga, yurei daichi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-30
Updated: 2017-09-02
Packaged: 2018-12-08 16:19:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11650236
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/circuscrow/pseuds/circuscrow
Summary: Daichi thought Kageyama was a normal fox until his tail split. To keep his long time companion safe, he journeys to find him a safe home at the shrine of a nine-tailed fox.





	1. Mountain's Pass

Kageyama had been a faithful companion to Daichi for years. Ever since he was just a child learning how to hunt from his father, the little fox had accompanied him everywhere. He was even well received by the other villagers; when Daichi would visit to sell his family’s game, they almost always offered Kageyama a treat from their own kitchens. Even when Daichi grew into a young man and took his father’s place as the provider to his family, Kageyama was by his side.

Kageyama was such a natural part of everyone’s lives and so easily accepted that no one questioned when he far outlived what a fox should, or even if he was a real fox in the first place. Then his tail split.

No one was ready for this revelation. The fox, or rather fox spirit, who was once warmly welcomed immediately became feared and shunned. After all, fox spirits were dubious at best, and it would be best to drive an unwanted one away before it gained any more tails. Daichi, who remained as faithful to Kageyama as Kageyama had been to him through all these years, was now being shut out and avoided for fear that he would bring his tricky spirit to unwelcome places. It was quickly becoming hard to make money, and lonely, and Daichi thought that perhaps this silly fear would pass when everyone realized that Kageyama was as harmless and well-meaning as he had always been. That was until he heard hearsay of a priest being called to drive Kageyama away.

Daichi didn’t sleep that night. Kageyama was curled up, sleeping soundly next to his head, but Daichi couldn’t stop worrying. What would he do without Kageyama? He had plenty of people he called his friends, but his companion’s constant presence was such a daily reassurance that he didn’t know what he would do without him.

The next morning, when Kageyama woke, Daichi already had a bag of provisions packed and his bow sling over his shoulder. “I’m going to take you somewhere safe,” he promised, “somewhere where no one will hurt you.”

Kageyama didn’t look thrilled, in fact he curled up to go back to sleep. His protest was simply to groan when Daichi picked him up.

“You heard them. They’re talking about calling a priest on you. I know that’s not something you want to deal with,” he argued.

Kageyama halted his protests in favor of resting his head on Daichi’s shoulder. If he really insisted, then Kageyama supposed he would have to go. At least Daichi was coming, but he wouldn’t mind delaying the journey a few hours. The morning was too cold to be out and about.

Daichi bid goodbye to his family, promising them he’ll be back soon. They protested, but no words could sway him. The sun was barely over the horizon when Daichi left his village, the two-tailed fox still in his arms.

The journey didn’t look to be pleasant, the winter chill was just starting to set in. Daichi didn’t think they’d need to go far, surely there was a shrine nearby or at the very least a village that wasn’t so distrustful of fox spirits. But as he approached the next village, already on the second day of travel, he still had no real idea of where he could bring Kageyama.

Daichi tried his best to convince Kageyama to stay inconspicuous, but true to form, Kageyama was unbothered by his exclusion, paying little mind to every look he received, from quick curious glances to long mistrusting glares. They were turned away from two inns before one allowed him to spend the night, but that was only because Daichi persuaded Kageyama to wait outside while he paid for the room. It was on their way to that room that they met any real help in their quest.

It was an old woman, and she was the first one to not treat Kageyama with contempt. Instead she seemed delighted. “I never expected to see a fox-spirit in my lifetime. Certainly not at this inn.”

“It was a surprise when his tail split. We all thought he was a normal fox,” Daichi answered, almost overwhelmed by her acceptance.

“Is that why you left? Did they turn on you?” Rather than talk to Daichi, she was now directly talking to Kageyama.

She was met with a steady gaze and a tilt of the head. That must have been answer enough for her since she moved on. “Does that mean you are heading to the shrine?”

“There’s a shrine here?”

“Yes. Further in the mountains, there is a shrine belonging to a fox-spirit with nine tails. Tales have always spoken of them as benevolent.”

“How far in the mountains?” Daichi asked. Surely this was exactly what he was looking for.

“There is a path headed north-east from this village, the path will stop, but to get to the shrine you will have to keep going. There is still something of a natural path, a passage between the mountains. If you’re in the right place you’ll come across a few other shrines scattered about. The nine-tailed fox’s shrine is in a valley before the tallest mountains. But the weather is harsh this time of year, I suggest waiting until spring.”

Daichi bowed deeply. “Thank you for your instruction

“Be safe young man, humans are such fragile creatures.” The woman bid them farewell.

Daichi did not wait until spring.

He had brought limited provisions only enough for a few days, and those were even running out. Kageyama wouldn’t be welcomed back at home, and it seemed like he wouldn’t be welcomed to any other village.

“Surely she is just being overcautious. It’s been a mild winter so far. We can just pick up a few things in the market before we leave, and we can hunt as we go,” Daichi reasoned as they lay down to sleep.

Even in the dark, the force of Kageyama’s skeptical gaze was powerful.

“I know you could probably make it there on your own, no matter what the weather is like. Or you could go anywhere you wanted. But I just want to make sure you find somewhere safe. You deserve somewhere good.”

The only answer Daichi received was feeling a small warm body curl up against his own.

Gratitude.

And the two fell asleep, resting for their journey come morning.

When Daichi woke, Kageyama was not there. He searched around their tiny rented room but Kageyama was nowhere to be found. Grabbing his belongings, Daichi rushed from the inn and sprinted down the street. Surely Kageyama wasn’t going to leave without him.

But sure enough, there he was at the edge of town. Kageyama stopped when he heard Daichi call after him and flicked his ears in irritation. The woman was right, humans are fragile. But Kageyama is durable, he could make the journey to the shrine no matter what the mountain pass had in store, Daichi should be safe at home with his family.

“Look, I know you can make it on your own. But I won’t have any peace of mind until I know you’ve made it there safe. So just let me come with you.”

That’s what all their years of friendship had done. Even if Kageyama couldn’t verbally respond, Daichi always could tell what he was thinking. Most of the time anyway. And Kageyama couldn’t stop the gratitude from swelling inside him. In actuality, Kageyama doesn’t want to be alone. That’s why he’s spent all this time with Daichi.

So the two set off, side by side and following the instructed path.

Their time on the path was pleasant. It was nearly cleared of debris with picturesque scenery. Daichi felt almost like they were on a leisurely stroll. But come sunset, they reached the path’s end. It simply stopped, ending with untamed overgrowth that blended into the surrounding forest. They were significantly slowed, only making it a small distance before they had to stop for the night. The weather was getting colder, but it was tolerable.

Only in the morning did it start getting unpleasantly brisk, making Daichi glad he left with warmer clothes. It only got colder as the day went on. Kageyama seemed fine, but he kept throwing weary glances towards Daichi. The man really did not have to accompany him this far. Being a fox spirit, Kageyama could travel wherever he pleased and not have to worry about the cold. He also considered himself a better hunter, not needing any of those silly tools that humans carried to feed himself.

The cold was clearly starting to affect Daichi by evening, with the sun’s warmth disappearing, accompanied by a light snowfall. That night was definitely the hardest, but was a turning point.

Upon waking up, one of the first things he noticed was that the weather felt slightly warmer. He still felt the bitter chill of winter, but it was tolerable. The light dusting of snow that now covered everything would probably melt soon.

As they set out further down the mountain pass, they eventually came to the first shrine the old woman spoke of. It was high up overlooking a cliff, but the red structure was so brightly contrasted against the mountainscape that it was unmistakable. The shrine was an expected landmark, but what was unexpected was the man with the head of a crow staring puzzlingly at them.

Startled by his sudden appearance Daichi bowed without hesitation. “Sorry for intruding, we were just passing through,” he nearly shouted.

Much more calmly, Kageyama dipped his head in respect.

The tengu paid little mind to Daichi’s words. Instead he asked. “What on earth could someone like you be doing here?”

“Oh um-” Daichi fumbled. “We’re traveling to the shrine of the nine-tailed fox.”

Finally getting a proper look at Kageyama, the tengu looked down at him contemplatively. “But why are _you_ going?” he asked, glancing back at Daichi.

“Kageyama is my friend and I want to make sure he’s taken care of.”

“I see…” the tengu grumbled. “You should be careful with him though. Not this one. The nine-tails. He’s a tricky bastard. Don’t want to get on his bad side.”

That didn’t sound right. “I thought he was kindly… There was a woman who said so anyway.”

“Some humans think so. I mean, he’s not objectionable. Just … unpredictable. If you’re finding a home for this little guy, he’d probably take him in I guess.”

Kageyama did not seem to appreciate being called little.

Daichi nodded, more out of politeness than actual understanding. He was honestly confused. But if the nine-tailed fox would take in Kageyama, that was what was important. “Ah, sorry. I don’t think I have anything that would make a good offering. I have a bit of food left…”

“Thank you, but you don’t have anything I want,” the tengu waved him off. “You’re free to pass. And … when you’re done, you’re welcome at the shrine.”

And with that, the tengu left, and Daichi continued through the forest with muddled thoughts.

A benevolent trickster. That probably should have been expected, it was an appt description for most fox spirits. Kageyama always seemed so obvious and honest, but he was probably an exception to the rule.

Kageyama kept giving worried glances to Daichi, who was lost in thought after their meeting with the tengu. It seemed more like he was aimlessly wandering than traveling with purpose. He didn’t stop to rest that night, or even stop to eat. Perhaps it was out of determination, or maybe their encounter with the tengu threw him off too much. But they both pressed on until morning and pressed on further still.

Neither of them knew exactly how far their destination was, but resting no longer seemed like a factor to worry about, and the tengu was not their last meeting.

Next was a kappa, who curiously peeked out of his pond. He too did not understand why Daichi was accompanying Kageyama, but allowed them to pass with nothing more than some polite conversation.

Close by to the Kappa was a tanuki. The tanuki merely sneered at them and passed by without further acknowledgement, even when Daichi tried to engage him.

A few hours later, mocking snickers alerted them to a nekomata. “This is strange. Are you lost, there?” A simple question, but Daichi felt like he was being mocked by the multi-tailed feline. The swishing of Kageyama’s tails indicated that he held the same opinion.

“We’re just headed towards the shrine of the nine-tailed fox,” Daichi answered evenly.

“Oh ho? Would your business have anything to do with your little cub there?” he jeered.

To Kageyama’s credit, he did not play into the feline’s mocking, rather he turned his back to him to wait out the confrontation. For his part, Daichi wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to respond.

“Lemme guess, you want to drop off your little cub there, find him a new daddy to take care of him,” the nekomata snickers. “I hate to tell you but shrines aren’t daycares.”

Daichi felt his usually calm temper rising, feeling like he was being unnecessarily tested. Tamping it down and taking a deep breath to calm himself once more, he answered, “We are simply traveling there.”

The nekomata looked disappointed, as if he were hoping to rile him up. Instead, after a long pause he asks, “So why are you going? Are you like, his nanny or something?”

The question felt oddly sincere, but Kageyama was now looking up angrily at Daichi, pleading for them to move on.

“I wish it, is all,” he replied with a shrug.

Not finding the fun he hoped to find, the nekomata turned to leave. “Well if that’s all, I’ll take my leave. But you should know, you should go a bit more east or you’ll miss it. If you hit the really big mountains, you’ll know you’ve passed it.” And with that, the nekomata disappeared into the undergrowth.

The moment it was out of sight, Kageyama turned around and continued on their northward path, nose in the air.

“Kageyama,” Daichi warned.

Kageyama stopped and looked back innocently.

“You heard him, we need to go a bit more east.”

Kageyama’s reply was an angry bark and some growling, but he eventually complied after being coaxed.

Parting with the nekomata marked the point in their journey to where they could say they no longer felt lost, as after following his direction, they came across a little creek. The creek itself was unremarkable, but there on its bank was a bright orange fox with two tails.

Before Daichi could even register what he was seeing, Kageyama alerted the fox with a bark. What followed, Daichi could only describe is as a conversation escalating to a heated argument between foxes, which concluded when the orange one ran off and Kageyama chasing after it. This left Daichi with no other option than to try to keep up.

The two foxes were too fast for Daichi, however. The best he could do was to follow their paw prints and the occasional rustling of bushes. He only stopped when he burst out of the trees and there in front of him was an imposing shrine.

It looked well maintained, with unblemished paint and the entire premises free of the encroaching forest. Two stone statues in the likeness of a fox marked the entrance, with Kageyama stood frozen between them. He turned only when Daichi approached, and for the first time since they’ve known each other, Kageyama looked scared. After all, what would happen after they entered the shrine.

But with Daichi’s encouragement, they both entered.

And there to greet them, stood in the garden, was the nine-tailed fox.

He looked like a man, but his nine tails trailed behind him like a grand, sweeping train of silver fur, and his foxy ears were pointed and alerted to them. In his arms was the orange fox, who he seemed to be quietly talking to.

They maintained a polite silence until the fox’s hazel eyes rolled in their direction, sharply focused, but he smiled welcomingly at them. “You’re far from home.” He stepped closer, and Kageyama stiffened, his tails tucked under himself in apprehension. When the nine-tails crouched down in front of Kageyama, the orange fox leapt out of his arms and scurried behind his legs. Resting his arms on his knees, he asked, “Why have you come to visit me, young one?”

And Kageyama responded. He spoke in a series of yips and barks that Daichi couldn’t understand, but it seemed the nine-tailed fox understood him well enough, nodding in response.

The nine-tails held out his hand and Kageyama placed his paw atop his palm. “I see. Well you are very welcome to stay here. I always look forward to taking in cubs.” With a yip from Kageyama, he scooped him up in his arms and greeted, “Well then. Welcome home.” The little fox at his feet remained silent.

But then came the matter of the elephant in the room. Or rather, the man who was clearly not a fox. The nine-tailed fox stepped in front of Daichi. “And you’re the good friend who accompanied him here. You are very kind, it will serve you well.”

Daichi could best describe his emotion as startled. He bowed deeply and answered, “Thank you for taking in Kageyama.”

“Kageyama, that’s a very good name for you,” the nine-tails mused, affectionately scratching his new cub behind his ear. “And who are you?”

“M-me?”

“Yes, what is your name.”

“I am Sawamura Daichi. … Kageyama is my friend, and I just wanted to make sure he found somewhere safe.”

The nine-tails huffed out a laugh. “I can assure you, he is very safe here.”  He stepped to the side slightly to reveal more of the fox at his feet. “This is Hinata, he came to me just last summer. And I am Sugawara, and this is my shrine.”

Daichi bowed once again. “It is an honor to meet you Sugawara.”

But Sugawara frowned. “What do you intend to do now, Sawamura Daichi, now that you have delivered your friend to me?”

“Excuse me?”

“What do you plan to do next? Surely you can’t go home.”

To Daichi’s surprise, he indeed didn’t know what he was supposed to do next. He couldn’t think of where he had to be. That tengu did say he was welcome at his shrine, and it would be rude to impose upon Sugawara further. “I’m not sure, actually…”

Sugawara smiled, and Daichi realized how beautiful he was. His smile was warm with his eyes crinkling at the corners from the strength of it. “You may stay here until you decide, and I’m sure you want to make sure Kageyama settles in.”

“Thank you very much for your generosity.”

“Come inside, I’ll have tea made.” He looked down to address Kageyama directly, “And I’m sure you would like to see your new home.”

With that, Daichi was lead inside by the three foxes.

“Sorry for imposing, Sugawara.”

“You’re not imposing. And please, just call me Suga.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have quite a bit more planned for this AU so if you're interested, please be patient. I am a slow writer, but I will get there.
> 
> If you would like to talk, find me at [circuscrow](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. I'd love to hear from you.


	2. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I fully intended for this to be a oneshot, but I decided to extend it just to establish a few things before I moved to the next fic in the series.

There was something uncharacteristically adorable about the way Kageyama was trying to drink tea from a normal tea cup. His entire snout was shoved down his cup and occasionally he'd come up with a snort and a shake of his head, having gotten some liquid up his nose. He was faring better than Hinata at least, whose cup was mostly empty with the tea covering his entire front end and forming a puddle on the table. Suga’s disinterest lead Daichi to believe this was normal behavior from the orange fox.

They were sat in a tea room that Suga insisted was for casual guests, but it looked far too grand. It was filled with finely crafted furnitures, accented with exotic fabrics and displayed with priceless treasures. Serving them were tiny white foxes who were even smaller than Hinata. While the priests maintained the shrine, these fox servants attend directly to Suga, Hinata, and now Kageyama. Daichi was not used to such luxuries. 

At least, he didn't think he was.

“You really remember nothing?” Suga queried.

“I guess not. All I remember is traveling with Kageyama through the mountains. And I don't… I don’t even remember forgetting anything? Everything just seemed so normal... Does that make sense?” Daichi was truly baffled, and he never thought anything of it until Suga asked where he came from.

“It makes sense,” Suga assured. “You must have passed through to the spirit world sometime during your journey. It’s not unheard of for a soul to lose its memories along the way.”

Daichi didn’t respond, it was just far too much to process. He didn’t know how long he only stared into his tea cup and did nothing else, until Suga placed a hand on his own.

“Do you need to be alone?” Suga asked his eyes gentle. 

“No, I don’t-” Daichi shook his head. “I don’t think so.” There was a certain apprehension at being left alone, like his slipping grasp on what is real might actually slip away. “I must of had a family, right? Friends? Just, people waiting back home?”

“Yes, but we can’t do anything about that now,” Suga answered solemnly and perhaps a little too harshly. He rubbed his thumb over the back of Daichi’s hand and added more gently, “It will help if you think of what’s here. You finished your journey, you made it here. And Kageyama is with you. Those are very important facts you need to hold on to.”

Wide-eyed, Daichi nodded. He did indeed complete his goal, and Kageyama was still with him. The fox in question was staring at him, eyes deep with concern. Most importantly, he had a home again. And Daichi allowed a sense of peace to settle. Yes, he had to hold onto that.

“There you go,” Suga encouraged. “This just needs to be taken in stride, no one is rushing you to do anything.”

Daichi smiled gratefully. “Thank you, Suga.”

Over the next week, Daichi spent his time shadowing Kageyama as he got to know his new home. They got a full tour of the entire shrine, which was as equally impressive throughout as the front garden and tea room, as well as a quick jaunt to the nearby town that Suga watched over. Kageyama’s time with Suga also consisted of lessons of what duties were expected from a fox spirit, if Kageyama was interested in that part, and helping him hone his developing magic. Though those lessons seemed to mostly be concerningly destructive contests with Hinata. Suga assured him this was fine.

Suga also gave his time to Daichi. He listened when Daichi needed someone to talk to (who could talk back) and he helped Daichi in moments where he was struggling with his sudden life change. Daichi even got a few lessons of his own, about yokai, the surrounding region, and which ones lived there.

It was an enlightening week. 

Soon the week turned into two, and those couple weeks turned into a month. All too quickly, spring began to break through the cracks of winter. Snow turned to rain, the mountains turned from brown to green, and tiny buds began sprouting from the trees. More and more people visited the shrine with the warming weather and Daichi got an earnest look at how the foxes worked. Suga would carefully appraise the wishes of visitors and fulfill ones he liked, sometimes he'd delegate simpler wishes to Hinata and Kageyama. Overall, Daichi was proud of how far his friend had come. Kageyama fit into his new life at the shrine as if he's lived there all along. Immediately he adopted Suga as his mentor, and despite their constant squabbling, he and Hinata were nearly inseparable. But the more Kageyama felt more at home, Daichi felt more out of place.

Daichi could stay here all he wanted, but he still wasn't a fox spirit. He had no duties to attend to, no wishes to fulfill or anything to protect, he was simply present. Soon that began to weigh on his mind heavier than anything else. 

“You know your staying here is no trouble,” Suga insisted when he brought it up to him. “In fact you're really good company.”

“I still feel like I need to do something. At the very least more than the nothing I've been doing here,” fretted Daichi.

“You haven't been doing nothing. You've been coping, the in itself takes a lot of work.” Daichi’s answering pout was met by laughter. “Well then, is there something else you'd like to do to help you cope?”

Suga smiled patiently as Daichi thought it over. “You know…”

“Yes?”

“When Kageyama and I were still in the mountains, we met a tengu. He invited me to come back to his shrine.”

“Really?” Suga looked surprised but interested. “Do you want to go there?”

“Y-yeah.” Daichi could hear the uncertainty in his own voice. “I think it’d be good to at least try something new.”

Suga smiled warmly. “That’s a great idea. Honestly I think you’d fit right in.”

“You think so?”

“Of course! And it's not even that far away, so you can still see Kageyama. Actually… Does he know you want to leave?”

Daichi immediately felt guilty. “No, actually. I only really just decided-”

“Then we should go tell him right now!” Suga interrupted. “We wouldn’t want him to think you’re keeping things from him, would we.”

Kageyama’s concerns had less to do with keeping secrets and more to do with Daichi leaving in the first place. The news was met with a long string of angry barking and puffed up fur followed by sulking. Daichi did his best to convince Kageyama that this was for the best, even though it was hard enough convincing himself he should go. The shrine just didn’t feel like home. It was Kageyama’s, and now Daichi needed to find his own. And like Suga said, the tengu shrine wasn’t far.

With Kageyama’s opinion made clear, it was decided that Daichi would stay with the foxes for a few more days to spend some more one-on-one time with Kageyama. Even though they spent the better part of the Daichi’s life together, this would be the first time they’d ever be truly apart.

When it came time to finally depart, Daichi was joined in the front garden with Kageyama, the fox insistent on accompanying him to the shrine.

“You really don’t have to come,” Daichi assured gently. “I know they way, and I’ve already interrupted your lessons enough.

Kageyama simply pretended to not hear him.

So Daichi set off to find his new home, accompanied by his two-tailed fox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you would like to talk, find me at [circuscrow](https://circuscrow.tumblr.com/) on tumblr. I'd love to hear from you.


End file.
